“I can only assume so, since the serpent was nearby, but I do not know.”
Frederica wrinkled her brow. “Why would he send you that? We already know the serpents are working with Napoleon.”
“It is mysterious. But I will tell Cerridwen, in case it is something he wants the dragons to know.”
“A good idea,” Frederica agreed. Then, more cheerfully, she said, “And I have some news of my own. Quickthorn has offered to bond with me. I will be a dragon companion after all!”
“What?” Elizabeth cried, embracing Frederica. “That is fabulous news. I know how much you have wished for it.” Quickthorn might not be a favorite of hers, but she was glad for her friend.
Frederica beamed. “I am beyond delighted. Quickthorn may have some challenges as an ambassador to humans, but I am determined to find a way. And it would be some time after the bonding before we could travel away from the Nest.”
“If you tell people she is a descendent of Blackthorn the Sea-Green, companion of Ethelrida the Wise, they will be so impressed that they will take her bluntness in stride.”
“Is she indeed? She never mentioned that to me.” Frederica laughed. “No one will ever call me Frederica the Wise, that is for certain! Perhaps Frederica the Impulsive. And you will have to teach me everything you know about being a dragon companion.”
“That will be quite a turnaround, to have me instructing you! Perhaps you will prove a more apt pupil than I am.” Elizabeth was still frustrated with her lack of progress on her mage skills despite all of Frederica’s lessons.
“Perhaps it was my poor teaching rather than my student,” Frederica said with her usual frankness. “Or we simply have not found where your mage Talent lies.”
Elizabeth doubted that. And she still needed to solve the mystery of Darcy’s sending. Waiting until tomorrow’s sunset and his next message was going to be hard.
“Georgiana, Mrs. Reynolds came to me with an odd concern,” Elizabeth said. “Apparently some of your brother’s old clothes are missing. I was wondering if it might be the doing of the lesser fae. If so, I would be happy to arrange for other clothing for them.” Not that she was actually concerned, but one of the maids who had discovered the discrepancy had almost resigned her position already over the presence of the fae at Pemberley, and she would like to exonerate them if she could. Darcy would not be happy if they lost staff over this.
The girl licked her lips, as if the question made her nervous. “I was the one who took them, not my fae, but there is no need to worry. I will bring them back.”
Georgianahad taken them? That made no sense at all, unless something she did with the fae required a boy’s clothing. “If you find yourself in need of clothes you can move more easily in, we can arrange for that.”
“No, I…” Her eyes darted from side to side. “I suppose I might as well tell you.” She opened the door to her bedroom and gestured Elizabeth in.
Her bed was covered with scattered items of Darcy’s clothing. And half of them were moving, as if in invisible hands. Elizabeth sighed. “I do not understand.”
“Pray let yourselves be seen,” Georgiana said, with a hint of command in her voice.
Elizabeth’s vision seemed to waver, and then there were half a dozen fae, ranging from a tiny redcap to a trio of hobgoblins, all with the odd proportions and pointed ears that marked them as denizens of Faerie. Even after her encounter with the brownie, it still gave her goosebumps to see these creatures from old tales with her own eyes – and because they were rubbing Darcy’s clothing over their hands, their faces, and anywhere else they could. One female hob had three of his cravats tied around her arm, making her look like a strange maypole.
“What are they doing?” she asked, half-choked by the strangeness of it all.
“They are taking his scent,” Georgiana said, as if there were nothing unusual about it. “They will share it with the lesser fae in France, so that they know to look for him and help him.”
Elizabeth turned to stare at her sister-in-law. “They can do that?”
Suddenly Georgiana’s new confidence seemed to fade. “They say they can. They know how much I want it.”
“But I thought they came here for the safety of the wards. How can they go to France?”
The hob with the dangling cravats said in a scratchy voice, “We have our ways, which are not for mortals to know.”
“I see.” It was still disturbing, though she often felt that way about the fae. “I am glad to know of it.” She turned and left them to it.
Outside the door, Georgiana asked, “Are you angry with me?”
“Of course not. Anything that might help him is a good thing.” Then she smiled. “I may have to come up with a different story for Mrs. Reynolds, though.”
Chapter 16
Darcy’s icy hands trembledas he piled up the last of the brush and driftwood he had collected. The great serpent in the cave had been correct that he would not drown, but he had said nothing about nearly freezing. Each time Darcy had sunk beneath the waves, he had been able to breath as easily as in open air, a truly miraculous experience. But swimming through the cold, rough Channel was still a battle, leaving him exhausted, sore, and chilled to the bone.
The land under him was dead to his Talent, so he reached deep inside for the power of Pemberley, drawing it over hundreds of miles through his tie to Elizabeth. It was weaker than what he was used to, but it was there, more than enough to let him create flames in the heap of sticks. Fire, his earliest mage skill, the one that still came to him more easily than any other. He groaned with relief as the heat reached his aching fingers.
